2nd time around for Worcester graffiti suspect from Leicester

Tuesday

Dec 31, 2013 at 6:00 AMDec 31, 2013 at 12:30 PM

By Scott J. Croteau TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WORCESTER — The man arrested over the weekend and charged with tagging a section of Park Avenue and Tatnuck Square was ordered to pay $200 in restitution when he was arrested on similar charges back in June, according to court records.

Danny Nguyen, 21, of 7 North Court, Leicester, will be arraigned today in Central District Court on charges of trespassing, willful and malicious destruction of property and carrying a dangerous weapon stemming from his arrest Saturday.

His arrest came at a time when the city was dealing with a rash of vandalism and graffiti in different sections of the city.

Saturday, police called to the Tatnuck Square area found graffiti on several buildings. A short time later, an officer saw two men spray painting a building on Park Avenue. Mr. Nguyen was arrested and allegedly had a butterfly knife on him, according to police. The other man ran off.

Court records show this is the second time this year Mr. Nguyen has been arrested for writing graffiti on property in Worcester.

In June, Officer Paul E. Lawrence was at Illinois and Gates streets when he saw a car stopped in the middle of the road on Gates Street. He saw the driver, later identified as Mr. Nguyen, get out and run to a nearby concrete wall.

According to the officer's report, Mr. Nguyen began to write the word "China" on the wall with a blue magic marker.

"I watched the subject as he was drawing on the wall," the officer wrote. "Within a moment, he ran back around the front of his car and got back into the driver's seat."

The officer pulled Mr. Nguyen over and arrested him. The marker was in Mr. Nguyen's front pocket.

A month after his arrest, Mr. Nguyen was ordered to pay $200 in restitution to the city. The case was dismissed upon payment.

Court records show that others charged with vandalizing property with graffiti in the city have been ordered to serve community service.

Brothers Richard A. Cardwell, 18, and John Cardwell, now 20, both of 48 Columbia St., Worcester, along with a Holden boy, then 16, were arrested in April for tagging light poles, signs and a mailbox near Hamilton and Gordon streets.

In August, Richard Cardwell's three counts of tagging property and one count of resisting arrest were continued without a finding until February 2014. He was also ordered to perform 50 hours of community service with the city of Worcester. A charge of disorderly conduct was dismissed.

John Cardwell's three charges of tagging property were continued without a finding until February 2014, and he was ordered to perform the same community service. A charge of disorderly conduct was also dismissed. The 16-year-old boy was in juvenile court and his records are not public.

City records show that 150 graffiti incidents were called into the city or located by police or city workers this month. The number does not include the recent graffiti in the Tatnuck Square area. December had the highest amount with only June (105) and October (101) reaching over 100 incidents. The low for the year was 25 in November.